I've been thinking about making my own duck boat for a while now. How well do these actually work as a layout boat? It's highly appealing to me for a boat to be able to fit multiple roles because I'm a broke college kid. Anyone actually own some of these and can give some guidance?

Just so you know what I'd be using it for: I live in WI and mostly hunt the WI river and backwaters as well as marshes. I'd like to be able to start hunting some lakes for divers though. I'm just wondering how safe these boats would be in that kind of water.

The Hybrid NL w/ pods I think is 10ft long is awesome, I live off the chain o lakes in IL. I would love one of these to hunt out of. Im a married dude with 2 month old baby so cheaper is a little better for me too!

Ive heard and see that they dont sit too high. They look crazy when all grassed out. Ive seen them with the layout swing doors cattailed and grassed out along the edge of a river once. If i didn't see the dudes decoys I would have never seen him. Personally I think if you are laying in middle of a lake I think it would still work. Thats how I wanted to use it, load about 2 dozen dekes and see what happens, plus you can push pole urself into those not easily accessible spots with not alot of pressure. When were you thinking of starting on yours?

If you want it done before season, better order your stuff from us composites soon. Ive heard it takes 2-3 weeks to get. Thats where most people get the fiberglassing materials. Im about to order mine. I have to hurry up too, or mine wont be done before our early September teal season. On refuge forums theres a whole thread on peoples boats, builds, and question/answers. Im trying to decide to put a dog pit behind me or not. Mine will be the NL with pods.

I don't know how well they'd work as a true open water layout boat. The profile looks a little high to me. Here's my boat so you get an idea of the profile. Mine is 9 ft. modified v-hull, with a dog box and weighs 70 lbs. Works well to layout hunt in a marsh.

Is that a 10 footer? I think im going to build mine 10' plus 8" ponds. Is getting the dog back in a pain? I thought about making my ride out board that sits on top of cockpit have 2 hooks on bottom side. Once we get setup, hang it off the side of the boat for the dog to walk up...

9' for mine and 9''3" for my friends. No problem with the dogs getting back in. If it's in swim water we just grab the scruff and give a little pull. We have a small removable raised platform in the dog area so the dogs aren't sitting Ina a puddle.

Definitely checkout the links provided above. As for the plans, they are pretty detailed with a DVD and step-by-step instructions with photos (at least if you pay the very nominal fee). I can also say that Rich (a.k.a. "missedagain") is a very great person to work with. I e-mailed with him a few times after purchasing the plans and he is super helpful.

As for layout in open water, I think it would work fine --- you would just want to paint/camo accordingly. Don't glass-in max-4 sheets for an open water set-up. Paint it a dark grey or something like that. Personally, I have used mine (6ft 5in Hybrid NL without pods) in marshes. I painted with Parker Duck Boat paint and covered with a killerweed blanket I made...works awesome --- essentially invisible! I have also used it without the grass in lilly pads. This gives you an idea of how low it sits...I hid so well in lillypads and NO OTHER VEGETATION AROUND that geese, teal, and mallards were landing all around me.

The boat holds-up very well too. I have floated in canoe trips in the summer, and the boat holds its own. I've run over logs and rocks without problems. If I could build all over again, I would use Luan for all plywood components --- during the build I used quarter inch plywood on the bottom and sides, Luan on the top. The reasons I wish I used Luan everywhere are 1) it's lighter, and 2) the fiberglass REALLY strengthens everything. I was shocked how much Luan is strengthened by the fiberlass.

Obviously, you can modify the plans to suit your needs. I don't have a truck, so I measured the interior of our Forester (family man!) and made the boat a few inches narrower than the specified plans to make it easier to transport.

Pretty Good! Picked up an ole '66 9.5 Sportwin to power my build. Also ordered 3 gallons of resin. I'm still hung up on my lumber purchases. I plan on modifying the plans to make it 12' with an additional 1' pods. I'd like to be able to take my dad hunting. Only problem is I'm wondering if making it that long would make it flex at higher speeds. I may add some additional mid-section bracing if needed. Weight isn't the biggest concern for me because I plan on trailering it. I just want something low-profile and able to hunt me, my dad, and my 35 lb AWS out of.

An extra layer of fiberglass on the bottom will probably do a far better job of stiffening the build than adding braces. Or you could use thicker cloth. If you are looking for luan it is carried at home depot, lowes, menards, etc. It comes in 4X8 sheets so you'll have to scarf it together, which is really easy to do. You might run out of resin if it is your first time doing fiberglassing due to the waste. It shouldn't be dripping out much or you have too much in. Just saturate the cloth until it is transparent.

Any of you guys play with vinyl ester? Seems to be a compromise between the performance of epoxy and the price of poly. I thought long and hard about it before going with epoxy. I figured the longer working time would be good for a first-timer like me. Plus the better water-resistance.

sharris wrote:An extra layer of fiberglass on the bottom will probably do a far better job of stiffening the build than adding braces. Or you could use thicker cloth.

I second! The fiberglass is what gives stiffness and strength much moreso than anything else. I'm not expert --- just 1 HybridDuckBoat build, but I did learn that the process is totally different than other forms of building. Usually, we frame something and then skin it (such as walls, or shelving, etc.). However, with this boat build, the skin isn't attached to frame (other than some pieces that give it shape). In many places, the skin is zip-tied to other pieces of skin, then glued together without any frame. It's the fiberglassing process that gives it weight and makes it very solid.

We are using Epoxy. I cant comment on how it compares to the other resins as this is my first build. And I've just started the build. But we have already lengthened several pieces to make the boat longer and it was a cakewalk with epoxy. Lack of fumes to deal with was nice also. Will be glassing the inside either tomorrow or the next day so ill get a little more experience. Im using 1/4 inch ply and 3/4 for the transom. Even though its not needed I am that guy that over builds.

sharris wrote:An extra layer of fiberglass on the bottom will probably do a far better job of stiffening the build than adding braces. Or you could use thicker cloth.

I've fabricated a lot of fiberglass items, boats included, and can tell you it's not true. In general, all another/thicker layer of fiberglass will do is make the boat heavier and more costly.

A layer of 'glass is very flexible; it will add little in the way of stiffness. On a per-ounce basis, properly-designed braces will stiffen a structure considerably more than adding more 'glass. Ounce-for-ounce, wood is 10X stiffer than 'glass.

More fiberglass WILL make the boat stronger (tensile and compressive) and add puncture- and wear-resistance, but it will not increase stiffness in an effective manner; there are much better ways.

What would you recommend for stiffening the hull then? Wooden midsection bracing? I was thinking a bench/storage compartment would do the job but I'm new to boat building. I just know that in riveted aluminum hulls the seats often act as support for the hull.

A keel and ribs are the ""bones" of a good watercraft. Adding layers does nothing to stiffen but adds weight as a previous poster wrote already. Brace any angles to form triangles...triangles are strong.

aunt betty wrote:A keel and ribs are the ""bones" of a good watercraft. Adding layers does nothing to stiffen but adds weight as a previous poster wrote already. Brace any angles to form triangles...triangles are strong.

ABSOLUTELY! The hybrid duck boat plans have various portions join on angles that essentially make triangles...perhaps this is where the stiffness is coming from. I can tell you that my build ended up being about 7'5", and lack of stifness never even crossed my mind. It has bumped into rocks, etc and nothing on it ever bends.

mudpack wrote:

sharris wrote:An extra layer of fiberglass on the bottom will probably do a far better job of stiffening the build than adding braces. Or you could use thicker cloth.

I've fabricated a lot of fiberglass items, boats included, and can tell you it's not true. In general, all another/thicker layer of fiberglass will do is make the boat heavier and more costly.

A layer of 'glass is very flexible; it will add little in the way of stiffness. On a per-ounce basis, properly-designed braces will stiffen a structure considerably more than adding more 'glass. Ounce-for-ounce, wood is 10X stiffer than 'glass.

More fiberglass WILL make the boat stronger (tensile and compressive) and add puncture- and wear-resistance, but it will not increase stiffness in an effective manner; there are much better ways.

I'm not going to argue with an expert, but I have seen the fiberglass increase stiffness SUBSTANTIALLY! For example, the very cheap brushes I use are so darn stiff when it dries that I could literally drill a hole through the fibers. Luan that was once malleable can hardly be bent after the glass is on. Now, maybe another layer doesn't add anything, but my observations suggest that the resin over the glass does enhance stiffness.

Qback5 wrote: For example, the very cheap brushes I use are so darn stiff when it dries that I could literally drill a hole through the fibers.

Well, that explains it then.

If you loaded that same brush with house paint, and let it dry completely, the brush would be just as hard and "stiff". Does this mean adding an additional layer of paint to your boat will increase its stiffness? Don't compare apples to oranges; a paint brush is not a boat.

Qback5 wrote: For example, the very cheap brushes I use are so darn stiff when it dries that I could literally drill a hole through the fibers.

Well, that explains it then.

If you loaded that same brush with house paint, and let it dry completely, the brush would be just as hard and "stiff". Does this mean adding an additional layer of paint to your boat will increase its stiffness? Don't compare apples to oranges; a paint brush is not a boat.

Thanks for the clarification regarding a brush not being a boat! LOL

For the record, the dried resin is WAY stiffer than dried paint.

Also, fiberglass can and has been used to adjoin two boards (without any braces)...and the joint is quite stiff.

Either way, to address the original comment, I don't think adding braces to the hybrid build would do anything to enhance anything other than the weight of the build. Just my 2 cents.